It can be interesting and beneficial to take a look at where the cross connection and backflow prevention industry was in its earlier years. Articles published in various journals and magazines are a good source for this reflection. Did they face some of the current issues and concerns? How has the industry progressed since then? Below are a few articles from the American Journal of Public Health. Feel free to share your reflections and comments below.

PUBLIC HEALTH ASPECTS OF CROSS CONNECTIONS AND DUAL WATER SUPPLIES

American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) April 1926

Excerpt:

That such conditions constitute an actual menace to public health is shown in Table I which gives outbreaks of typhoid fever due to cross connections. Although this list is not complete, it shows numerous outbreaks of typhoid fever, resulting in thousands of cases of typhoid and more than 100 recorded deaths since 1903. All of these outbreaks were definitely traced to cross connections between public water supplies and polluted private supplies. There were 9 outbreaks in New York State, in 2 of which-Herkimer and Seneca Falls-there were 155 and 102 cases of typhoid respectively.

Read the full article: http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.16.4.355

Invasion of Cape Gloucester, New Britain, 24 Dec. 1943. Crammed with men and material for the invasion, this Coast Guard- manned LST nears the Japanese held shore. Troops shown in the picture are Marines.” PhoM1c. Don C. Hansen. 26-G-3056. National Archives Identifier: 513188

CROSS-CONNECTIONS AND BACK-SIPHONAGE CONNECTIONS UNDER WAR CONDITIONS

American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) June 1945

RAPID industrial expansion and the tremendous development in land and sea transportation for military purposes have aggravated the problems associated with cross-connections and back-siphonage connections. As a consequence, public health disabilities have occurred and have stimulated a review of the whole situation in order to eliminate detectable hazards and prevent future accidents. A Temporary Subcommittee on Cross-Connections, Warren J. Scott, Chairman, was requested to study the situation prevailing in 1943, to scrutinize such rules and regulations as had been promulgated by military, semi-military, and civilian agencies, to recommend modifications in policies and in practice on the part of these control groups, and to summarize its conclusions and recommendations for needed action.

Read the full article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1625524/

Thank you to reader Carlos Borja for sharing this content.